Red Sox get their World Series rings

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox have received their 2013 World Series championship rings.

They were presented Friday during a ceremony that also honored victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and two Boston firefighters who died in a fire last week.

Additional Photos

Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, left, and relief pitcher Koji Uehara, lower right, celebrate with teammates after receiving their 2013 World Series rings at Fenway Park in Boston on Friday during home opening day ceremonies prior to a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers. The Associated Press

Former Boston Red Sox player Pedro Martinez, second from left, stands with Mike Lowell, left, Jason Varitek, former Boston Celtics’ Leon Powe, fourth from left, and former players from the New England Patriots during pre-game ceremonies before a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers on bpening day at Fenway Park in Boston on Friday. The Associated Press

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As the ceremony began before the game against Milwaukee, banners for Red Sox championship teams from 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 2004, 2007 and 2013 were lowered from the top of the Green Monster.

Family members of victims who died in the bombing last April and survivors walked in from the left-field wall with the rings. Team officials presented them to players and other personnel. Then co-workers from the same station as Lt. Edward J. Walsh and firefighter Michael R. Kennedy walked into center field and stood beside the players.

One year after limping into Fenway Park for the start of what figured to be an apology tour, the Red Sox are opening the season at home with a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday.

“I can imagine it will be a real fun day and the atmosphere will be great,” first baseman Mike Napoli said prior to the ceremony. “Boston is really known for putting some ceremonies together. I’ve seen them on TV and seen them in person. I’m anxious. I can’t wait. It’s going to be a fun day. I’m pretty sure it will be a day I will never forget.”

The Dropkick Murphys will perform the national anthem along with Keith Lockhart and members of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. A single helicopter from the United States Coast Guard will conduct the traditional flyover, representing all branches of the armed forces.

Rather than try to outdo the previous celebrations, Charles Steinberg, who is in charge of special festivities for the ballclub, said his goal was to fit the mood of the time.

“It’s important to not try to make it bigger and better. That’s a dangerous path to go on,” he said, adding that he wanted to capture “what we feel as members of our community … what images might move us, what people that we see once again might inspire us to let our emotions flow.”

The Red Sox collapsed in September of 2011 and then followed that up with a last-place finish in ‘12 that included the franchise’s worst record in almost half a century. With a purge of the fried-chicken-and-beer brigade that presided over the 13-month fiasco, management revamped the roster with low-risk and high-character free agents who took the team from worst to first.

“Friday is going to be another reminder of a tremendous year and a tremendous experience,” said manager John Farrell, who was the team’s third manager in three seasons when he replaced Bobby Valentine last year. “We’ll all take our own memories away from it.”

Farrell said the players who are no longer on the team will be invited back. Ryan Dempster, who has said he won’t pitch this year while contemplating retirement, will attend, but unsigned free agent shortstop Stephen Drew will not.

It will be the 12th Red Sox home opener for Ortiz, who batted .688 in the World Series to earn MVP honors. Six months after beating the NL champion St. Louis Cardinals, the Red Sox will face Milwaukee in their first interleague home opener.

“It will be good to take a moment and enjoy the time we had and what we accomplished as a team in front of our home fans,” second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. “Our goal every year is to win the World Series, then get our rings on opening day.”

The Brewers went 1-2 in their opening series against the Atlanta Braves. That one was at home, where Milwaukee slugger Ryan Braun was greeted with cheers in his return from a 65-game suspension for his connection to the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug investigation.

He shouldn’t expect a warm welcome in Boston.

“I don’t think he’s ever been cheered on the road, so he’s not going to have to worry about that being that much different than any other time,” Brewers pitcher Kyle Lohse said this week. “Hopefully they’ll be distracted getting their rings, right? And happy.”

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